Chinese New Year Preschool Activities

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. These Chinese New Year Preschool Activities and all opinions are mine alone. #NewYearFortune #CollectiveBias

Over the past six months, my daughter has become fascinated with other countries and cultures. She even asked for a globe for Christmas! Of course, she received a globe, and I can’t believe how much her geography knowledge has improved in just a month. With her new interests, I thought it would be fun to organize a little Chinese New Year celebration for her. This year, the Chinese New Year is February 19. While our family has no Chinese heritage, I knew that she would enjoy learning about the Chinese culture and New Year traditions with a few preschool focused activities.

Preschoolers are all about the hands on experience. I designed a set of four printables for my daughter. The printables are simple, but I designed them to make use of her preschool skills and to encourage her to ask questions. 2015 is the Year of the Sheep in the Chinese New Year, as this coloring sheet emphasizes.

The Chinese New Year also focuses on good fortune. Small kids do not always know what the word “fortune” means. This simple printable breaks it down for them while also letting them practice their tracing and writing skills.

One Chinese New Year tradition is to give money in red envelopes. The celebrations also have an emphasis on family. In these two printables, preschoolers can practice their scissor skills by cutting out the red envelope and their coloring skills by drawing a picture of their own family.

Want these free printables to use? Click over and download them via THIS LINK!

 Probably the most important part of any preschool function is snack time! While my daughter may be interested in learning about other cultures, she’s a little picky when it comes to trying food from other places. I’m also not experienced in cooking Chinese cuisine, so I picked up a few boxes of Tai Pei® frozen appetizers. With an included dipping sauce, the Tai Pei® Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls were a good introduction to authentic Asian appetizers.

She was hesitant to try them at first, but the Tai Pei® Mini Chicken Spring Rolls were her favorite. Filled with hearty chicken, she quickly realized the flavors were delicious! We also had the Tai Pei® Mini Spicy Chicken Egg Rolls, which were wonderful but a little spicy for her. I secretly bought those for me, though. Hey, mama’s gotta snack, too! There are also pork and shrimp varieties. All have delicious, crispy wrappers and are ready in minutes!

I picked up the Tai Pei® frozen appetizers at my local Walmart. With “Good Fortune in Every Box™”, they were a quick and easy way to introduce Chinese New Year traditions! Visit Tai Pei® on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for more information. Score a coupon while supplies last via the The Red Envelope tab on the Tai Pei® Facebook page. Check your local paper for coupons on 2/8/15, as well.

After snack, it was time to get crafty. I made little take out boxes and large paper fortune cookies with my Silhouette cutting machine. If you do not have a die cutting machine, plain take out boxes can be purchased at any art and crafts store. I let my daughter decorate the take out boxes with paint and crayons. If you’re hosting a little preschool party, these can double as party favors to take home left over egg rolls and spring rolls.

This is an excellent time to introduce the culture and traditions of the Chinese New Year to your little one, and there’s still plenty of time to plan your own preschool Chinese New Year celebration!

Do you celebrate Chinese New Year? What are some of your traditions?